It Was Supposed To Be Easy
by Zion Fyre
Summary: COMPLETE!...OMG over 1100 views! thanks! ... Two souls come together, one soul who thought she was full and alive, another almost lost completely. But they need each other to break through their weaknesses. What happens when they have to fight just to be?
1. Who are you?

Two souls come together, one soul full and alive, another almost lost completely, struggling to hold on to something.

If he's given the chance, will he reach for salvation?

And can she accept who he doesn't want to be?

ChristieXJin

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((this is my first fic, really, so hope you like it timid smile so... read it and give me your thoughts. Don't worry, if you say something negative, I won't pout and cry in the corner... I hope to use all comments to better myself. Okay, on with the story!)) 

It was supposed to be easy.

Christie's skills in Capoeira were superior after studying meticulously nearly all her life. Not to mention her grandfather was a master, so she had learned from the best. And her dear friend Eddy, who had been so great in helping her as well.

Every enemy she had met thus far was easy. But now...

Before she could comprehend what was happening, Marduk was on top of her, slamming his fists into her face. He was too heavy and she was in pain, though she kept trying to hit him back. Everything went black. But before she lost consciousness, she felt Marduk's weight being lifted off of her. Maybe she was just losing it... So much blood... so much pain...

She awoke with the sun shining in her eyes. Lazily, she reached up to rub her eyes but winced as her arm screamed in pain at her. It hurt so bad. But she was shocked by her weakness of the pain more than the pain itself. She had definitely dealt with her share of pain before now. Nothing had stopped her before, except... Christie tried to sit up to examine her surroundings.

"You're awake," said a soft voice in the corner of a small room. The owner of the voice stood, a figure in dark clothing, and walked over to her, holding a bowl. "Here."

Christie looked up at him, pushing her brown bangs out of her eyes. "Wha..." she feebly said.

"Be still," he whispered and pushed her onto her back on the mat. "You're safe for now." He began to unwrap some bandages, cleaning the wounds as she watched him. The young man's face was hidden by his hood, but his hands, especially his fingers, seemed to be scarred.

Finally, he helped her to sit up a little as he fed her some soup. He spoke to himself in Japanese, just soft enough for her not to understand. If she'd learned anything from the King of Iron Fist Tournaments, it was the many languages. When he turned away from her to walk out of the small room they were in, she spoke up.

"How long have I been here?" she asked, her throat replenished by the moisture of the soup.

He stopped in the doorway. "Four days," he told her, then left. She pushed herself up off the floor and chased after him. She could ignore the screaming in her legs. After all, hadn't she learned to do that since she could walk, what with the tedious and exhausting practices over and over.

Her mind was jumping to the worst possible case, that maybe he was some pervert that was going to try to take advantage of her, or have some fun once she wasn't too weak to fight back. No way was she going to take that.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her fist clenched at her side as she glared at the back of his head.

"Are you going to fight me?" he asked, his back still to her.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the young man replied. "I saved your life."

Christie frowned. "Why?"

"You should rest."

"I'm not going to re..." Before she could finish, he had grabbed her arm and twisted her around completely, able to manipulate her just by forcing her arm up the slightest. Pain shot through her shoulder. She suppressed a whimper.

"If you were in better health, you would have been able to stop me," he whispered and turned her toward the small room, walking her back to her mat. "Now, stay."

He left her there, lying on her mat. She hugged her knees to her chest. Sure, she'd stay, but the moment he came back, she was going to show him a thing or two. He wouldn't know what hit him.

If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was macho men trying to show off. But maybe, she thought, this was just how she wanted to get back at herself for failing to fend off Marduk. It was silly, really, but it was like a prideful fire she had to feed, and since it had been put out from her last encounter, she needed something to bring it back to its flaming glory, if only to make herself feel better.

Her savior didn't return until the next afternoon. Christie's sleep had been very light, ready to jump when he walked in, so she wasn't at all as rested as she should have been. Still, when he did come back in, she was well enough to attack. He walked right up to her mat and bent down, but was interrupted with she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and whipping him around against the wall. Shocked, he was unable to stop her attack as fast as he should have.

As Christie rounded to lay a final blow into his face, she couldn't help but notice his hood off, and his face looking right at her. No, not right at her, but into her. When their eyes met, they locked and she faltered. It was like fighting Eddy, so difficult when it's someone you care about. But she knew nothing about this man. He reached up and took her hand, pulling her down to him, gentler than she had been.

"Who are you?" she whispered, searching his face. Christie saw in his eyes his mind working for the answer. She could see he wondered how to answer her, but not out of deceit, but rather true uncertainty.

Finally, he found the words. "Jin," he answered with a nod. "Jin."

A small smile formed on her lips. He looked so familiar... Where had she seen him before? "I'm Christie," she whispered. She thought about extending her hand, but looked down at her hand in his as they sat against the wall. They stayed like that for who knew how long.

After a while, she placed her head against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "So... where are we?"

"An ancient temple in the mountains," he answered, starting to stand.

With a frown, Christie asked, "How did we get up here?"

He looked down at her with a warning in his eyes. "Don't ask me that."

Jin walked out of the room, leaving Christie on the floor by herself. She got up and ran after him, following him out into a yard overgrown with mountain grass. She could see there was a drop off a little ways away where a cliff ended. Jin sat on a boulder overlooking the edge.

"Where did you find me?" she asked him.

After a few moments, Jin looked away from the mountain range and at Christie who stood beside him. "In a dark part of the city," he told her, then pointed out toward the where the sun would set. "That way."

Christie followed his finger, then wondered all the more how they got up there.

"What were you doing down there?" he asked, looking at her again.

She chewed her lip then shrugged. "I was stood up at a restaurant downtown. Well, I was stupid... It's not like I knew Japan very well, anyway. So I had a lot on my mind anyway and... All it took was one moment of not paying attention for me to wind up in a dirt alley with a truck dangling from chains and screaming macho-men behind logs and pipes. Behind me Marduk and a bunch of punks snuck up behind me. I tried to step away but I was already against a brick wall."

Christie took a deep breath, looking out at the sun, reliving the night for herself. She glanced at Jin and saw he was actually interested. "Marduk started banging his face with his fists and stood in a ready attack stance. He looked big and stupid so how hard could it be? I immediately flipped into a handstand and began to swing around my legs, tripping him and sending him flying... until he caught on and grabbed my leg, throwing me against the wall. Then I blacked out as he pounded me to a pulp." She looked down as she thought, and then finished, "It was supposed to be easy."

"A lot of things are supposed to be easy," he said softly, his eyes closed as if there was really something he was thinking about that he could relate her comment to. "But things don't really turn out the way you want them to all the time. Sometime you just have to give up..."

Christie's jaw dropped slightly. "I can't accept that."

"What if it's the truth?"

"I won't accept that," she stated with such belief she almost surprised herself. "Jin, you can't just give up because something becomes difficult."

"You did," he said accusingly, his head swinging to glower at her. She defensively returned the look. When their silent war proved futile, he looked away again and said, "I saw them attack you."

Crossing her arms, she switched her weight from one leg to the other. "What were you doing down there? You don't seem like the thug type." Not completely, anyway.

"I'm not usually there," he told her, staring at the horizon. "I try to stay away from the city... when I lose control."

"Lose control?"

"Lose control," he repeated. She could tell he didn't want to go any further than that.


	2. Run away, love

Dawning Day

So the days passed like that. Jin left at dusk every night, leaving Christie in the mountains by herself. She'd ask him every evening to stay, but he'd always refuse. No matter what she said or offered, something else seemed to drive him from away, something so strong he would never give in to her pleading to not be alone.

Jin was quite and reserved when Christie did see him. It was always about her and her life in Brazil, but his past still remained a mystery to her. When she did ask, the conversation was politely turned in a different direction, his mastery of doing so showing the fact that she didn't even notice the subject changing until she realized they were not talking about him anymore. But she took comfort in the warm hours she'd spend with him. He was always there when she woke, most of the time there in the room with her.

One early morning, Christie woke just before the sun rose over the peaks. Jin was not there yet. She walked out of the temple, breathing in the fresh morning air that hung around her, wrapping its arms around her as if it were hugging her good-morning. The sun was not above the peaks, but light was streaking across the sky, the sunlight fighting to get over the obstacle in the way of its rise.

It was her new routine to practice when she woke in the morning, but it was a new experience at this hour. Just before the world was bright... there was something mysical. As the sun rose, she found her legs and arms whipping gracefully through a light mist. It was not thick enough to cover but tangible enough to be recognized for its presence.

She lost herself in dancing. It was not until she heard clapping did she stop and realize the sun had been up for almost three hours. Christie stopped and looked over at Jin leaning on the post in the open doorway leading inside. He was watching her with a small smile.

"Are you going to join me for breakfast or not?" he asked, as always in his quiet manner.

She chuckled and completed her practice with a graceful spin from her hands to her feet. "I'm coming," Christie said and ran up to him, looking at him expectantly. "Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, turning and walking to the small table were the monks used to eat.

"What's for breakfast?" As they sat down, he set out her bowl of rice and pushed a plate of fruit toward her.

"You couldn't wait to just see for yourself?" he asked as she eyed the food. He knew she still wanted to know badly where he went and how he brought things to the temple, let alone how he got up here.

Christie grinned at him and stuffed a piece of pineapple in her mouth. As she ate, he watched her intently, as if trying to work out something in his mind. Jin had the same look on his face that he had when she asked who he was. There was something he was trying to figure out and it didn't seem to click.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked after she finished half of her rice. Christie began to look around the table for something to drink.

Jin snapped his fingers and picked something up from behind him, setting it on the table. It was a Starbucks coffee. "It's not Brazil, but I'm told it is close."

Christie picked it up, looking at it in disbelief. Suddenly she cracked up, laughing as she looked from the coffee to Jin and then back to the coffee. "You got me coffee?"

Jin looked down but she knew he was feeling slightly embarrassed and slightly amused by himself. "Well, I know you miss Brazil... and I heard a lot of women talking about the good coffee."

Taking a sip, she understood that this was Jin trying to give her a piece of what she loved, trying to show some form of caring. Maybe try to show her that he listened since most of the time she thought he was in his little world because he often looked off when she talked.

The coffee tasted horrible. She had never been a big coffee drinker because her grandfather had other methods of waking up. He believe that people wouldn't need the caffine if they just had a better system of living. Capoeira practice every morning followed by a fresh, healthy breakfast was their system, and it worked quite well for them.

"Do you like it?" Jin asked. Always so quiet, always so serious.

Christie couldn't lie to him. She tried to suppress the giggle rising in her. "Jin... I don't like coffee," she said between chuckles. "I'm sorry. Thank you, though."

He nodded and put an arm on his knee. "How is the fruit?"

"Jin, why don't you ever eat when you're with me?" she asked, sticking a piece of banana in her mouth.

"I'm not hungry," he said.

Christie eyed him. "That's a lie." 

"Maybe... maybe it is, just not for the reasons you think."

"Really?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she tried to figure him out as she always did. And as she always did, she failed. "Tell me what they are, then."

"No." One thing that really bugged Christie was the fact that Jin never told her anything. She couldn't stand it when people would mention something and then just not complete their thought. It was almost as bad as when someone says something but you ask them to repeat it because you didn't hear them, and they tell you to forget about it. To her, it wasn't as simple as forgetting. She just had to know. And Jin was secretive about mostly everything about him. All she knew was him name.

Still, as she shared her life with him, she felt a strange bond forming between them.

"Jin, why won't you tell me anything?" Christie asked him, seeing if she would have any luck with coaxing a real answer out of him.

"Because you really don't want to know about me," he told her, beginning to stand. Christie saw this and stood as well, chasing after him as he made his way into the sunlight. "You're well now. You have your life waiting for you outside of this place. Why haven't you asked to leave?"

This made her stop. She asked herself that very question so many times. After all, they'd been together in that place for the last week, at least since she'd awoken.

"I..." she began, starting to look down. But, no, she'd face this subject. "I don't really want to leave. I don't have someone to talk to like I have here, with you."

He spun around and glared at her from under his hood. "You have a family. Your grandfather... he _loves _you. Your Eddy certainly misses you. Why does staying here matter to you?"

Tears began to well up in Christie's eyes. "You... don't understand."

"I understand that having love is more important than whatever petty problem is keeping you from it!" he all but yelled at her.

So, she was finally getting somewhere with him. Who knew it would also open the wound that she had for so long hoped to forget about, hoped would just disappear so she'd never have to deal with it? Now both of their neglected wounds were ripped open for the other to start poking and prodding.

"If someone really loved you, they wouldn't fail you," she muttered and crossed her arms.

"People fail you every day," he replied. "You get used to it."

"But I shouldn't have!" she shouted, surprised by her sudden emotion. He looked at her, he himself now trying to figure her out. "Don't you see? There is no grandfather. Eddy..." Christie shook her head and hugged herself.

Jin seemed concerned now. "What do you mean? Your grandfather... you lied?" So he wasn't concerned, just near disappointment that she might have lied about everything she ever said. Was that his fear with her?

"I didn't lie. I'm..." she couldn't bring herself to say it. Instead, all she could think to do was run. So she did. She took off running toward the temple, to run inside and through it to... anything.

But Jin caught her, wrapping his strong arms around her, trying to hold her down as she fought him. He didn't fight back, he only tried to steady her. Their struggle brought them to the floor. She didn't even realize she was crying until he was wiping the tears away, his serious eyes looking into her own. It was then she saw the pain that he had locked away inside himself. It was hidden there in his eyes. That was what made him so serious, so intense.

"Chisty," he whispered. He had never really been able to say her name right because of his accent. That memory of a friend, that sweet memory, made her cry harder as she put her head down on his shoulder. His arms around her tightened as he held her close to him.

There they sat on the floor in the middle of an empty room in the temple, together. The silence was like a barrier, thick and overbearing.

"I lost a fighting contest that was supposed to give me the money to save my grandfather. He became... so sick. I remember him laying in bed, dying before my eyes, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. At first Eddy told me it wasn't my fault. I blamed myself for so long that he stopped trying to comfort me after a while. I think he even started to believe me..." she said, her voice trailing off. She remembered the look on Eddy's face when she packed her bags. It was hard, stone cold. Oh, yeah, he feebly tried to make her stay, but none of his words were really meant.

Christie's eyes followed the pattern in his hoodie before they squeezed shut. "All their hopes rested on me and I failed!" she screamed out loud. "I killed my grandfather!"

Jin ran a hand up and down her back as his other arm hugged her all the tighter. "That's not true. It was out of your control, Chisty," he assured her.

"I was supposed to win!" she cried. "I should have won! I failed them... I failed them..."

"Shhh!" Jin tried to calm her but it all seemed in vain. So, he let her cry. He only held her, rocking her slightly. When she seemed coherant again, he pulled away to look into her eyes and see her face. He stroked her cheek, then whispered, "It is truly a shame that someone so beautiful and so happy should carry such a horrible burden. I am sorry for what has happened to you."

His eyes, so serious and pained usually, were now gentle. The ice had melted into tears that streamed down his face now. Christie reached up and wiped them from his cheeks, finding her fingers brushing his skin from his cheek to his neck, where they entwined in his hair and pulled his head to hers in a kiss. His hand trailed up from her lower back to between her shoulder blades as he held her closer to him, returning the kiss.

In his kiss she could feel his need, his want of her and her life, but why she did not know. He was so secluded now, he longed for companionship that she had with others. Though she had the burden of her grandfather's death, it hadn't kept her from her friendship with Julia or the other girls from the tournament. There was no one that he allowed close enough to be called friend, with the exception of "Chisty."

There was something else in his kiss, though, and he felt it, too. He nearly shoved her away in surprise at the hunger he felt. "Stop!" he shouted, quickly crawling across the floor to get away from her. "Stop it!"

Christie wiped her mouth slowly, unsure of what was happening. "No..." she whispered, crawling to get to him. "Not now. Don't push me away, Jin! Open up to me... please..."

"Chisty, I can't be here now," she heard him say over his shoulder as he rushed from the room. "I'm... sorry."

And he was gone from the room. Christie sat on her knees, arms around herself, staring at the doorway he had left her through. Her eyes slowly scanned the room as she felt more alone than she ever had before. What was he doing and why was he running from her?

"Don't leave me like this, Jin," she whispered into the empty room and the air around her.

Her hands covered her face and she began to sob softly.


	3. The Devil Within

**Author's Insert: I'm not sure but I've seen some people put disclaimers on their stories, like saying how they don't own the characters and blah blah blah. Do you have to put that? Because, though Jin is pretty sweet, I don't own him... but I do own the world in which he lives... mwahaha!!! So he might as well sell his soul to me. Oh yeah, and Christie belongs to them, too. But I'm into guys so I don't care about her... hehehe.**

**ANYWAY, so I'm lovin' the comments... hehe, who knew a couple reviews could make me glow inside out and want to write the night away, just to make you happy? I can only hope that my story proves to stay good...!! But I might as well just come out and say it now.**

**Basically, I love you. There. I said it.**

Pieces of the sunset streaming through the doorway gently woke Christie from her slumber on the hard wooden floor. She was lying irregular so her neck and lower back had horrible knots in them as she sat up and stretched. Her cheeks were dry from crying. Christie realized then that she had cried herself to sleep, her mind finally being put to peace from rest, but nearly sleeping the day away.

She slowly got to her feet and lit the candles around the temple so when darkness came she would not have to fumble around for them. Then Christie shuffled outside, seeing the sunset in its full glory. It was beautiful but nothing could keep her mind from where it was dwelling now.

Christie saw the boulder that Jin usually sat on and climbed on top of it, hoping that in some way she could be closer to him in doing so. She stared out at the sun as it drifted behind the mountains, leaving some trails of light behind it.

Crickets were out now and the glow of fireflies began to drift around, lighting the air with their faint glow. Christie could no longer stand it. She missed him too much and it killed her inside to think that he was gone… maybe forever? Would he leave her like that?

Christie hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Tears resurfaced as she thought about no longer being with Jin. Sure, he never really opened up to her, but she felt closer to him that anyone else.

She stayed with Xiaoyu in Japan, moving in with her after she left Brazil. She remembered fighting the frightened little Japanese girl with the pigtails and the pink outfit. But after the tournament was over with, they had gone out for lunch together and laughed a lot. And so they kept in contact, writing and calling.

When Christie moved in with her, they got along great. Xiaoyu helped her find a job and together they kept their apartment, splitting costs. It was a pretty nice deal for the both of them. But no matter how much fun they had, Xiaoyu and Christie weren't really that deep with each other. They didn't talk about their pasts much. All they did was laugh.

In a rush, all her responsibilities came back to her. Xiaoyu had to be searching frantically for her, worrying for the worst. She might already be fired from her job since she hadn't been there in over a week, not calling in or anything. Everyone might think she was dead as well. How would she get down the mountain? What about the rent?

Christie could feel something watching her, but she didn't move to see what it was. There was something there, but what did it matter?

Her hair was brushed over her shoulder as strong arms wrapped around her waist hesitantly, as if afraid to embrace her. A head rested on her shoulders as a gentle voice whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, Chisty. Don't cry. Please?"

She jumped, nearly knocking him over as she tried to spin around to hug him. Jin chuckled and let her go enough to let her twist around. When she threw her arms around him, she tightly held onto him, as if the moment she would let him go, he would disappear forever. He lightly rubbed her back but finally took a hold of her shoulders and pushed her back to look at her face.

The light of the fireflies danced in her eyes, making her all the more beautiful. And in them he saw her longing and… was it love? Inside himself, he felt his heart breaking. How could he have allowed her to stay with him for this long? It was cruel of him, because he wasn't who she thought he was. Besides, he didn't deserve her…

"Chisty, it's time to go."

"Where are we going?" she asked with a small smile.

"You are going home," he told her, looking away. It was all he could do.

Christie gasped and clung to his shirt. "No…"

Jin looked at her again as he pulled her down from the boulder. "You have to."

"I'm not leaving you." She searched his eyes for a sign that he wanted her with him, but he had forced himself to not be so weak as to show that to her. "Jin, don't!"

He tried to detach himself from her but she wouldn't let him go. Frantically, he looked at the moon barely peeking over the peaks of the mountains. "You will sleep here tonight. In the morning, I'm taking you home. You have a life you need to get back to."

Christie shook her head, trying to think. He wasn't going to get away from her this time. Promptly, she sat down on the ground. "I'm not moving, Jin."

He scowled down at her. If his hands had been free, they would have been on his waist.

"Chisty… don't make this difficult." Once again he glanced at the peaks. When he looked back at her, he was pleading with his eyes. "Please, let me go."

"No, Jin," she replied, staring back at him with all the defiance she could muster. "Why don't you want me with you?"

"Chisty…"

But he didn't continue. Suddenly, it wasn't Jin that was looking at her anymore. Physically, he was still there, her hands still clinging to his arms, but in his eyes, it wasn't him. He became very tense and Christie felt a sense of feral being in him. When he snapped his arms away from her, she let him go, afraid of this monster that was forming in front of her.

Jin stretched his arms above his head and his head tilted back. From the move that now sat on the peaks shot a beam of light, striking him in the chest. He roared and crumpled to the ground. All was still for a few moments. Shaking, Christie slowly inched toward him to touch him. Was he dead?

As she reached out, his whole body jolted and huge leathery wings exploded from his back, ripping the shirt from his back. On his knees he once again stretched out his arms to the sky. In the middle of his forehead was a third eye. This two other eyes glowed red and he had strange markings on his face. Down his chest was a large gash. His third eye looked right at her and on his face an evil smirk played.

Christie screamed and got to her feet, racing for the temple. What was this creature and what had it done to Jin?

The Devil Jin swept up into the air and roared as he chased after her. He circled above the temple and then landed in front of the other exit, halting Christie in her tracks. She slowly backed away from him while he scanned the room before his third eye fell on her again. He sneered and stepped after her.

"Jin!" she shouted. "Jin, stop! Please!"

Still he continued to advance on her. A low growl eminated from his throat. There were three swipes at her but she dodged them and ran. He jumped at her, but she rolled away from him. He crashed into some candles, spilling them onto the floor. One of the candles rolled to a tapestry on the wall and caught fire. Again he went for her but missed, crashing through more candles, sending some towards her sleeping mat. It quickly burst into flames as well.

Christie looked around at the damage that was accumulating. The old temple... such a beautiful place, and treasured for her time with Jin... it was falling apart before her eyes as the Devil Jin lunged for her and she eluded him.

One swipe of the claws that stretched from his hands skimmed her shoulder but did not leave her untouched. She cried out as the pain seeped through her shoulder. There was blood dripping from the gash, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She saw that outside the mountain grass was catching fire and spreading to the trees. Everything was burning.

The Devil Jin advanced behind her while she was occupied with the destruction. He laughed and grabbed her arms, threatening to kill her with another mighty roar. Christie looked into his eyes as his third eye closed. Indeed, in the other two, there was no sign of the Jin she loved.

With a devilish grin, his third eye snapped open. If it hadn't been for Christie dropping to her knees at the last minute, the beam of light from the eye would have taken off her head. Instead, he blasted a tree that stood a few yards away and it swayed, falling toward them. A piece of Jin sparked in the demon's eyes and he threw Christie from him. The tree fell and knocked Jin unconscious.

Christie sat there for a few moments, watching him. He was still and quiet, unmoving. So many questions pounded through her head. Would he awake and attack her? Where was her Jin, the one she knew?

But with the questions came answers to the other questions. So, that was how he had gotten them up on the mountains... and that was why he had wanted her far from the temple and himself. So the temple was his haven, but he had just destroyed it. She rubbed her face and massaged her neck. Her hair was singed a little and the ponytail that had been was now a mess of hair the the ponytail holder halfway out of her hair. She took it out and put it up again just to get it out of her face.

Christie debated with herself about whether or not to touch Jin. Instead, she hugged her legs to her chest. Slowly, she took her eyes from him, looking around at the damage. Nothing was salvagable. Everything was lost.

**Uh oh... the secret is out. Will Jin be able to fight the Devil Gene so he can be with her?**** Will Christie reject him now that she knows who he really is inside? Tune in next time... mwahaha... Happy Late Valentine's Day... late by only 2 days.. :P**


	4. Christie's Funeral

It had been a strange dream. He saw himself destroying everything around him. Fire was everywhere. The temple was crumbling from his attacks, but he couldn't stop himself. All he could do was watch.

And then Christie was there. He saw her. He knew what was going to happen next, but no matter how he fought...

Jin was suddenly wide awake, staring at the clear blue sky. The sun said it was 10 a.m. He was lying on his back on the dirt. As he moved his hands along the ground to push himself into an upright position, found the ground too soft and chalky to be dirt. Confused, he looked at his hand and saw ash covering it.

"Wha..."

In a flash he was sitting up, and all he could do was groan at the sight of nothing. Nothing but ash. And in the middle of the ash was Christie, sitting still like a statue, like a rabbit that felt its predator approaching. Her eyes were on him and it looked like she was barely breathing.

Once more he looked around and understood. It hadn't been a dream at all. Jin's gaze returned to Christie and he made to go to her, but when he moved, she jumped. So, she was holding her breath before.

"No," Jin whispered, but it was not to her. Disappointment dripped from his voice as he grew angry at himself for almost hurting the only thing he could ever really love. But Christie was sensitive to his anger and immediately began to move away from him.

"Jin...?" she whimpered.

He extended his hand to her slowly, just to show her the control he had, as opposed to the abrupt actions of the Devil gene. Then he let his hand drop and rested his arms on his knees. He looked down in shame.

"I tried to warn you," he started to say. "I tried to tell you."

"No, you didn't," Christie snapped at him. All night and all morning she had thought about what she was going to say to him, but nothing seemed right. What do you say? There was one thing for sure, though. "It's always secrets with you."

"I didn't want this," he told her, looking up. He was going to face her. When he moved to her, she didn't jump or try to run. Jin held her eyes with his gaze as he spoke. "It wasn't supposed to be like this."

Christie frowned. "Then what?"

"I only meant to... to let you heal in a safe place," he explained. "The temple was sacred. The gene wouldn't do anything on these grounds."

She scoffed at him and shook her head. "And you didn't think once to tell me."

Jin took her hands in his own before she could react and held them tightly. "You would not have stayed."

"I..." She couldn't argue. Either she would have thought he was nuts or... well, nuts.

"I've been fighting this my whole life, Chisty," he said, looking into her eyes with his own serious ones. "I wanted to do good to make up for the evil that dwelt within me. That night, in the alley... I lost control and had marched into that place, my only rational thought was that those men were evil men as well, so whatever happened wouldn't matter. But when I saw you..." He glanced away for a moment in thought. "I can't explain what happened to me. I grabbed Marduk and threw him against the wall, taking on all of his thugs and... brutally murdered them."

Jin squeezed his eyes shut, pausing for a moment. Christie could not help but relax. He was okay now, and seemed like he would be for a while. "I can control what happens sometimes when I choose to change, and when I do change, I see things as if I were dreaming. I am half aware of what is going on around me."

"What about when you change? When does that happen?" Christie asked him softly.

"When I started taking care of you, I tried to force the gene to obey my will. I thought to myself, if I give the gene its freedom at night, leaving you for only some hours, then it may leave me alone during the day," he said, looking down at her hands, running one of his hands up her arm lightly as he added in a whisper, "when I could spend time with you."

He was silent then, his fingertips tracing along her hands and arms. Finally, Jin looked at her again. "I didn't mean to endanger you. I... it was supposed to be easy. One night and then I'd take you home. But... I kept justifying you staying because I loved to watch you sleep. You were so beautiful," he said with longing as he swept his fingers lightly through her long bangs that escaped her ponytail. "You were so peaceful. I didn't want you to go, until our kiss, when I knew I might lose it."

Christie took his other hand in her own, caressing it lightly. "Why did you change last night?"

"Full moons are the most extreme nights. The Devil gene seems to feed on the energy of that moon, and last night was one of those nights." At this time, Jin broke down in tears. "I saw you. You were standing there and the look on your face..."

It was then that he saw the patch of dried blood on her shoulder and he shook his head at himself. Christie had already ripped a piece of her shirt to wrap it, but it killed him to know that he had caused her that pain.

"Jin, I was there," Christie agreed, touching his cheek, sliding closer to him "I saw the creature that stood in front of me. There was not a hint of Jin in that beast."

Jin's gaze shifted back to her again. "I saw the tree falling, and it took all the strength I had to overcome the gene to save you."

A tear slid down Christie's cheek as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. She searched his eyes and saw the sincerity. With that, she could not be angry at him specifically. "This is the burden you started talking about?"

"Yes," he said with a small nod. "I am the heir to the Dark Blood. And because of that, my family has not been peaceful in many centuries. Each generation fighting the next for the darkness."

"So... not only is your life ruined because of the demon thing, but also because your family hates you?"

Jin's eyes shut. "My family is dead. They tried to kill me to take the... throne, I guess you could say. I used the gene to protect myself."

Christie frowned. "If you really can choose, why, then, did..."

"Because, it still is a dark part of me that can choose to be used by itself! When I choose to use it, I am more in control. But it still becomes hungry and will transform me so it can feed its lust for blood. That's why I left at night, so I could let it be free, and I hoped it would leave us alone during the day."

"And why didn't it work?" Christie asked softly.

"When you kissed me yesterday, the gene tasted your life... and it wanted you. That's why I ran away... and when the full moon came out, it took over..." his voice trailed off and he looked timidly at her once more, "and saw you."

She sighed and took his head in her hands, searching his eyes once more. Though she wanted to distrust him now, she saw his demon was not his fault. She saw him studying her, memorizing her, and she knew what he was thinking.

As he ran his fingers through her hair thoughtfully, he said sadly, "I care about you too much to let you stay around me. It would be stupid and selfish to be with you."

She moved his head to look into her eyes again so he could see she was serious. "And it would be stupid and selfish for me to want to be with you. But I'm here now, and I don't want to abandon you to the darkness."

"Chisty, you can't save me!" he snapped.

Though she jumped a little, she was not afraid of him. "But I can try to guide you to the light."

He pushed her away from himself and put his head in his hands. "Don't you get it? It never works... I've tried! I can't get close to anyone... ANYONE! The gene won't let me, not without forcing me to kill them. I won't do that to you!"

Silence surrounded them for a while as they isolated themselves in thought, Jin about pain, and Christie about hope. "Jin," she said gently, "tell me why you saved me."

"Because..." he started but stopped abruptly. For a moment he thought and then he glanced at her. "I wanted to."

An encouraging smile spread across her face. "See? There is good in you."

"I want to be good, but the gene changes everything..."

"Yes, it will take work. But I believe in you, Jin. I've seen who you really are, and that demon isn't you. I just wish... you could open up more and tell me what's going on inside of you."

Jin clapped his hands and stood. The leathery wings spread from his back like they had the night before and Christie started to react in fear. "Jin..."

"Don't worry, Christie, I'm in control," he reassured her and gingerly held out his hand to her. She believed him and took his hand. "Come, you have to go home now before I hurt you further."

He picked her up in his arms and started running for the edge of the cliff. Christie bit her lips closed so she wouldn't scream, but in that moment, she questioned Jin's sanity when he was changed. Jin's wings spread out to their full length and he leaped, his wings catching the air currents and carrying them up just as his feet were about to run off the cliff. She clung to him, fearing for her life.

"Jin!" she screamed, her eyes squeezed shut. "Jin, I'm afraid of heights!"

He smiled sweetly and whispered in her ear. "I'm not going to drop you. Look at the clouds... they're beautiful."

Slowly she opened her eyes and found herself floating through the clouds. Jin was right; it was incredible, though she still was holding very tight to Jin, despite his reassurance.

Jin watched the wonder on her face with enjoyment. He loved watching her and seeing her expressions. Once or twice she allowed herself to reach out to touch the clouds, but once she had, she quickly clung to him again. He smiled and kissed her hair.

He landed right outside of Tokyo and folded his wings. "I'll walk you back to your apartment, just to be sure that you get there safely. After that, I have to leave you."

Her smile dropped and she was quiet the whole way through the city. They arrived at her apartment she shared with Xiaoyu and pushed the buzzer. No one answered. One of the other residents that lived in the building opened the door to go out.

"Excuse me," Christie said, stopping her. The woman looked at her strangely, which Christie could understand. After all, her clothes were torn and scorched, covered in ashes, and her shoulder in blood. "Where is Ling Xiaoyu? I thought she would still be in her apartment about now?"

The woman sighed and now looked at Christie sadly. "Ling Xiaoyu is getting a funeral ready right now."

"A funeral?"

"Yes. Her roommate was killed. At least, they think she was. She won't talk about it, but there's rumor of a horrible kind."

Christie glanced at Jin uneasily. "And where might this funeral be taking place?"

The woman gave her the directions and Christie and Jin quickly made their way to find it. They got lost a couple times, and by the time they found the place, the funeral had already started. Christie's favorite CD's were being played and she recognized a few of the mourners as people that had known her from the tournament. Some of them were Xiaoyu's friends, and one specifically Christie knew personally. It was Eddy. He was surrounded by a few of her friends from Brazil.

Eddy stood to speak before them. It was obvious he had been crying pretty hard. "Christie... was a girl that I grew up with. Her grandfather taught us both Capoeira as his students. She was awesome at it. When she went into the Iron Fist tournaments to save her grandfather, I tried to stop her. It was too dangerous, but her love for her grandfather surpassed her fear of being hurt or killed. She was truly a selfless person." He broke down into tears. "She lost... and I know she hated watching her grandfather die. She couldn't take it anymore after his death and ran away to here. I tried to stop her... I thought that if I asked her to marry me, she wouldn't go. It was supposed to be easy... but I couldn't do it. I'm sorry, Christie... wherever you are!"

Christie watched him speak. She felt Jin rub her lower back and was calmed by it, but she couldn't help but feel contempt for Eddy. She didn't really believe that was what he would have done because she remembered how he looked at her. She couldn't help herself, she had to speak.

"I always wondered what my funeral would look like," she announced, stepping forward, arms crossed. Everyone turned around and gasped. A couple people fainted. She smirked. "Eddy, go sit back down, you liar. I know you blamed me a little for his death, and now you just feel guilty for hating me, now that I'm dead."

"Christie?" he gasped, starting to walk toward her in amazement. "No... I wanted to... I was confused at the time. A lot of things had happened. Your grandfather just died and we were trying to figure out what to do with his business. There was too much going on."

"Oh, yes," Christie replied in mocking sweetness. "And your reason for not coming after me when I left is...?"

He looked down. "That's not fair."

"No, what you have done's not fair!" Christie yelled at him. Jin put his hands on her shoulders to tried to calm her down.

"Chisty," he whispered.

"No, Jin," she shouted and turned to leave.

People that had come from the Iron Fist Tournaments began to mutter to themselves. Jin? Jin Kazama?

When Christie left, Xiaoyu ran out after her. "Christie!" she screamed, running down the street after her, tears in her eyes again. When she finally caught up to her, she threw her arms around her roommate. "Christie, you're alive! Oh, I prayed nothing had happened to you. I was so worried! I thought you had died. What happened? Where did you go? Why are you with Jin?"

Jin walked quietly behind them but Christie knew he was there. She stopped, though, when Xiaoyu said his name. "You know him?"

He nodded. "Of course. I fought him in the King of Iron Fist. He beat me pretty bad, too."

So that's what Christie remembered him from. She had seen him fight in the King of Iron Fist. "Xiaoyu, let's get some late lunch."

"What about the funeral?"

"Let Eddy deal with it, since he's so keen on taking the blame for everything nowadays."

So they stopped at a restaurant and Xiaoyu began to tell Christie everything that had happened while she was gone.

"Some drug dealers saw your 'missing' picture and claimed they saw Marduk attacking you. Then their story got a little weird. They said some vampire creature thing flew down and killed Marduk, and then carried you away. We assumed they were too high to really know what was going on. Marduk was dead, I saw his body, but it still didn't make sense. Then the police wanted to declare you dead. So, I agreed and... we had your funeral today. What happened to you, though?"

Christie told her that she had awoken in an ancient temple outside of the city, but not that it had been in the mountains, and Jin nursing her back to health. The only other thing Christie left out was Jin's transformation.

"What about all that blood?" Xiaoyu asked, pointing at her shoulder, a concerned look on her face. "Honestly, you do look like you came back from the dead!"

"Oh," Christie glanced at Jin, who looked away quickly, taking a sip of his soda. "Well, the temple caught on fire and burned down. I was almost crushed but Jin saved my life... again. If it wasn't for him, I'd definitely be dead."

Jin looked back at her, still sipping from the straw. She looked sincere about her feelings of him saving her. So, even though he had almost killed her, she still thought he saved her in the end? He closed his eyes in deep thought as they continued talking about gossip and how Xiaoyu got everyone to attend the funeral. How was he going to make it up to her for the danger he had put her in? All he could do was keep her away from him.

So wrapped up in his thoughts he was that he didn't notice their conversation anymore. He did know that once they got up to go to the bathroom together. What girls, he thought to himself with a small smile. Other than that, he was completely to himself. But they got his attention once more when Christie kissed his cheek with a giggle.

"Hey, you," she said. "Don't drift off too far."

He saw they were now joking and laughing. "I think it's time we go," Jin told them, standing. Christie sighed in reply and they walked back to their apartment.

**I'm sorry. I absolutely hate to ask for Reviews, only because I hate it when other people do it and I know that whether or not they do ask to R&R, I don't always have time... but I do want to hear your feedback on this. Give me your ideas, comments, concerns... threats, even. I'm very honored to see the many hits... I just want to know if you liked it or not, if the plot is even enjoyable. That's all... no guilt-trip... :P**


	5. We're staying together

_**Hey, good morning...**_

_**Morning for me, anyway. So, I hope you have enjoyed the story thus far. Let me know when it starts becoming... blah. I'm almost done, though. I think I may make this 7 chapters. So, we're almost there... The seventh chapter will be highly climactic, a beautiful end to the story, but I have a feeling, since I'm am torn between two or three ideas, I'm going to have like three alternate endings and you can tell me which of them you like.**_

_** Enjoy! hands out popcorn  
**_

* * *

When they reached the door to their apartment, Christie winked at Xiaoyu. Jin disregarded it and took Christie's hand, kissing it softly. "Good bye, Chisty."

"Why don't you come in?" Christie asked.

"We are pressing our luck," Jin whispered, looking into her eyes. "Only a moment."

They walked inside and Christie led him into their living room. "This is home," she asked him. "What do you think?"

"Chisty ..." he began to say, but a sharp hit in the head knocked him out before he could finish.

Christie looked up in shock. There was Eddy and a pipe in his hand. "Christie, why did you bring this guy here?" he demanded, standing over Jin's body.

"Eddy!" she screamed and fell on her knees, quickly looking over Jin to make sure he was okay. "You might have hurt him badly."

"He's dangerous!" he shouted and tried to drag her away.

"He's hurt!" she countered and patted the blood in Jin's hair.

Xiaoyu ran into the kitchen and grabbed towels. "I'll get him. Christie," she glanced from her to Eddy, then back to her, "I think you need to talk."

Christie became defensive and grabbed the towels from Xiaoyu. "I am taking care of Jin," she said with a glare and knelt down beside him, patting the blood and cleaning the wound.

"Since it's obvious I'm not going to get to talk to you face to face, I'll just do it now," Eddy said with a sigh. "Christie, I miss you. What we had was good, don't you think? We worked good together."

"Eddy, leave now," Christie snapped, completely absorbed in Jin.

"I just don't want you to throw your life away, baby," he continued, placing his hands on her shoulders, pulling her to her feet. He began to plant kisses on her neck and rub her arms. "Don't you ... remember? What ... about us? I want to ... settle down and have a ... family now. I love you."

She spun around, swatting her hand at his face. He was kissing her! His kisses were going where ... where Jin's kisses were. "Eddy, don't talk to me about that!" she yelled at him, poking him in the chest as she let everything out at him. "I was the one that wanted a family and a life. You never wanted that. You were always flashy and all about show. To you, settling was like becoming nothing, you told me. How _dare_ you come to _my_ place and say these things to me. You let me go, not once do you heartily try to stop me! I know that there _is_ someone who cares more about what's good for me, and he's ... not ... YOU!" As she yelled, he found himself backed into a corner.

There was silence then. They stared at one another, Eddy silently trying to make her understand and Christie's answering scowl unwavering. Finally, Eddy sighed and scratched his head, leaning against the wall to appear calm and cool. "Christie, I know what you want outa life, after all the time we've spent together. You can't expect Jin to know that, not yet anyway. You are wasting your time with that ... thing."

"He's not a thing," Christie snapped, once more over Jin as she cleaned him up. Her hands took Jin's hands in her own and fingered the scars, understanding they were the only visible scar to testify to his torturous burden.

"Fine, but still ... I know what Jin is, and he is not one to mess around with."

"I can help him, Eddy."

He snorted. "If you honestly believe that, then you are stupid. Christie, he's a ..."

"I know what he is, Eddy!" she yelled, glaring again at him. "But most importantly, I know what he can be."

Eddy marched over to her and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. "You are gonna get yourself killed if I leave you alone. I won't let you do this."

Her free hand came up and slapped him. "Let me go!"

They struggled and fought, but neither gaining on the other. Christie continued screaming, while he held on to her tightly. Finally, Eddy threw her down. "I'm looking out for you and this is the thanks I get? Christie, I don't want you to throw away your life."

"I'm not throwing it away! For once, it means something more than winning!"

"No, it doesn't. Not to you. You want to save him and that's winning for you, just a different form than shows and tournaments. Christie, don't you understand? I love you."

"Eddy, leave!"

He stared at her, trying to think of how he could change her mind, but he gave up. Slowly, he shuffled to the door and placed a hand on the knob. Over his shoulder he said, "Christie, I know what life you want. Do you really think you can get it with him, an unpredictable demon? Just ... think about it. Xiaoyu has my hotel number. Give me a call or stop by tomorrow after you've thought about it."

Christie's back was to him, eyes closed, and she pretended not to hear him as he left.

"He is right, you know," Jin muttered just barely audible. Her eyes flew open and she saw him looking up at her, eyelids half-open. "I am unpredictable."

"Shh, don't talk," she told him, trying to soothe him. "Just stay still."

His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to shift against her will. "I am ... not safe."

"Be quiet," Christie warned with a small smile, "Or else I'll knock you out again."

With a deep sigh, Jin relaxed as Christie massaged his arms, shoulders, and neck.

"Christie?" Xiaoyu called from their shared bedroom. "Could you ... come here, please?"

Christie sighed and kissed Jin's forehead, then went into the bedroom. "What is it?" she asked impatiently.

"I don't think this is healthy for you to be with him," Xiaoyu stated immediately. She was undressing from her funeral clothes and changing into a normal outfit. This one was her usual pink and white dress with a little panda face on the chest. Christie remembered her own clothes and went to her dresser for something clean.

"Xiaoyu, you have to understand this. He's the only person to ever know me," Christie told her as she walked into the bathroom. Jin was resting so he wouldn't see if she left the door open to talk to Xiaoyu while she showered to cleanse her body of the ash and dried blood. "I don't know how to explain it."

Xiaoyu walked into the bathroom as Christie was taking a shower, and closed the door so their conversation could be more private. She didn't want to offend Jin with the next few things she was going to say.

"Christie, if you don't get rid of him, I will. I won't let him stay around here if he's going to change and destroy everything we worked so hard to make. Don't jepoardize me because you have some new rebound love."

Christie peeked out from behind the shower curtain and glared at her roommate. "Shut up! Why don't you go pet your little teddy bear!"

Xiaoyu snarled. "Leave Kuma out of this!" she screamed at her, slapping at the shower curtain. "Christie, I'm not afraid to kick you out!"

"Then do it!"

"Go ahead and ruin your life!!" Xiaoyu yelled at the top of her lungs and marched out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

Christie finished washing the blood from her body and rinsed. The warm water felt so good to her, like the mountain hot springs in a shower head. Finally, she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. She pulled back the curtain and jumped. Jin was sitting there, eyes downcast in thought. He had an ice pack to his head.

"Jin, what are doing in here?" she asked, making sure she was completely covered up. Despite what many people thought of her in everyday life, she was not a whore.

He looked up at her with sad eyes. "I am so sorry."

"No," she whispered and knelt down next to him. "This is not your fault. Nothing of this is your fault."

He reached up and took her head in his hands. "Christie, I am not worth throwing your life away."

She pushed his hands away. "Stop saying that!" She stood and marched out of the room, getting dressed in jeans and a shirt. Jin stood by the door, respecting her privacy there. "I just don't understand how you can't trust me to know what I'm doing."

"But you do not know!" he exclaimed, becoming just as excited as her. "Unless you have dealt with a vicious demon before, you cannot say you know what you are doing! And ... it is not you I do not trust. It is me."

Christie stopped. Jin was leaning against the wall, looking away from her room. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Before he could say anything, she covered his mouth with hers and kissed him deeply.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Who I love is my choice, Jin," she whispered. "I will not abandon you to your darkness."

In his eyes Christie saw something break. His arms wrapped around her tightly and buried his face in her neck. This was the Jin forced into seclusion and isolation. For too long he had to fight and shield himself, but now ... now he could just be.

* * *

_**I admit it ... I don't like Eddy. I never really did. So, I guess I portrayed him in a bit of a bad light. What do you think? Should Christie go for Eddy and have a normal life, or is Jin worth fighting for? Is she just going to end up killing herself if she stays with Jin?**_

_**I'm the author and what I know is that if she stays with Jin, there WILL be times when the gene takes over and will try to kill her ... and I'm not sure I'll always be in the mood for saving her ... :P lol, don't worry... if she dies I can always find a way to bring her back ... hopefully. Okay, I do apologize ... her social time around the city in her bloody and ash covered, ripped clothing is very unrealistic, but I didn't want her going home so quickly ... as you can now see based on everything that's happened these last two chapters.**_


	6. Wise Choices and Breakfast Conversation

_**Before we go into this chapter, I want to apologize for my author's note, as some had brought it to my attention that it is against rules. I had no idea of this, since in a previous story I had read another author had done that very thing, so I thought it was just a way to tell the readers that you were going to update soon. I will not say who the author is because, frankly, I cannot remember who.**_

_**On with the story!  
**_

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Christie had the couch made up for Jin only because he insisted. He would not take her bed and had originally asked for the floor but that was too far for Christie.

"No, Jin," she said with some finality. "You are going to sleep on a soft surface, okay?"

"Very well," he replied with a sigh and sat down on the couch. She joined him, taking his hands on hers but he pulled them away. When she looked at him to ask why he had, his hands cupped her face and gently brought her lips to his in a momentary kiss. But he stopped it as he began to question himself. Finally, he looked into her eyes and asked, "Why?"

Christie closed her eyes and took his hands in her own again. This time he did not resist. "If I give you a good enough answer will you stop asking that question?" she asked impatiently.

"Yes," he answered, bringing her hands to his lips. She opened her eyes and saw he was smirking.

"Jin, my grandfather once quoted something to me... and, since his death, I thought I had forgotten it. You reminded me. He told me, 'This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will.'" Christie paused and touched his cheek, making him look into her eyes. "You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in it's place is something that you have left behind... let it be good."

Christie stood and whispered good night to him, leaving him in the quiet living room by himself. Xiaoyu was out partying.

Xiaoyu did not come back until late that night... or very early the next morning, depending how you looked at it. She stumbled through the room to the bedroom, half drunk, half asleep. There was enough noise that disturbed Jin from his sleeping and he sat up to scan the room. He saw her open the bedroom door and fall on her bed with a final snort.

Getting to his feet, Jin rubbed his neck, a horrible, dry feeling encasing his throat. He went to the kitchen to get a glass of water to replenish himself. With a small light turned on, he searched the kitchen for a glass and then filled it up with water. Slowly he made his way back to the couch, drinking deeply of the water.

As he settled down on to the couch, he groaned, realizing he had left the light on in the kitchen. He tiredly got to his feet again and started to walk back to the kitchen, but he was stopped in his tracks as he passed the bedroom. The door was still open, allowing the light to drift into the room. It stretched out all the way to Christie's bed and fell across her sleeping figure.

She was lying on her stomach, something he remembered she often did, from when they were living in the temple. When she shifted in her sleep, she frowned and made a few strange movements. Jin began to wonder what she was dreaming, and began to assume it was a nightmare. He saw the face that he cared for so much wince in fear or in pain...? Something, and felt something inside him hurt. He wanted to protect her with his whole being.

Quietly, he walked into the kitchen and turned off the light, and then went back to look through the darkness at her once more. Yes, he wanted her, but more than his urges, he wanted to be there for her. He never wanted to see her smile disappear and be conquered by a frown. He never wanted to see her have to cry again.

Christie had made it clear to him that she wanted to be with him, and though he had tried to persuade her, she wasn't going to change her mind, and he knew it. In all honest, he didn't want to be away from her either. She made him happy, though he rarely showed it. There was life in her that seemed to seep into his very being. And if it meant fighting his darkside for all of eternity to be with her, then so be it. He would find the strength it took. He would do it to make her happy.

She had already told him she would be there for him. Now, he could fight himself and his dangers just to ensure her happiness. Like her grandfather had said... "When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in it's place is something that you have left behind... let it be good."

Through the curtains came a faint light. Sunrise. Well, tomorrow was now today. It was a new day.

Around 10:30, Christie stood leaning against the wall, looking out of the window with a glass of milk in her hands. Her possessions were packed now, but there was only one bag. It had been packing that made her realize how superficial her life was before. She had thrown away so many pictures of her and Xiaoyu partying. It wasn't Xiaoyu, it was the partying. Too much of it. The temporary adoration of the people that watched her, amazed with her dancing skills. The temporary high of alcohol. The temporary thrill of a new man. The temporary happiness. Nothing was stable or long-lasting, and that's what she hated about it. For too long she had lived for today and not tomorrow's satisfaction.

So she had packed the clothing that didn't make her feel like a slut, and the few things that did have some deeper meaning to them, including a few things from Brazil. Everything else she left behind, because that's where it belong.

Jin was still sleeping. She knew he probably had gone out for a little while during the night, and she understood what he was doing, though they did not talk about it.

Xiaoyu lightly tapped her shoulder and Christie saw streaks on her cheeks, like she had been crying. Her eyes were red and she had a solemn look that on Xiaoyu made her look like a little girl that was guilty of stealing a candy bar.

After standing there staring at each other in silence, Xiaoyu finally cried, "I'm sorry, Christie!" and threw her arms around her, squeezing her. "You don't have anywhere to go and I'm throwing you out!"

Christie lightly patted her back and smiled gently. "Xiaoyu, you don't know that."

"Yes, I do!" she said between sobs. "You told me so. Your temple thingy burned down and you both have no money! Please, stay here with me. I promise I won't say anything about your boyfriend!"

Christie's gazed went from Xiaoyu to Jin's sleeping figure on the couch. He looked so peaceful and innocent. Come to think of it, she hadn't really thought about him being her boyfriend. He was just... hers.

Once again she embraced Xiaoyu and rubbed her back. "All right, Xiao, we'll stay."

"We?" she repeated. Uneasily, she nodded. "Yes ... both of you. Of course."

Christie kissed Xiaoyu's cheek lightly and smiled at her. "You really are a good friend."

Xiaoyu grinned and skipped off. "I'm going to make breakfast."

Shaking her head slightly at her girly friend, Christie walked over to Jin and woke him with light kisses on his neck and cheeks. He shifted and sighed heavily, slowly opening his eyes.

"Hey," he said softly. "That's what I wanted to do for you."

Christie chuckled and caressed his arm. "We're going to live here now. Xiao just asked us to stay."

Jin blinked and tried to wake himself faster. "Chisty, I am letting you stay with me only because you won't leave me alone. I am not going to let Xiaoyu ..."

"Hush, she offered. Jin, we're going to have breakfast and then we can talk about all that later, all right?"

He sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I was thinking about what your grandfather said." Jin looked down at his hands and sighed. "He is right. I wish I had known him personally."

"He was very wise," she started to say.

"What was meant to be happened. Maybe I am not the only one of us who needs reminding that we are better than we think."

Christie put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hands. "All right, Jin. We'll help each other."

"Breakfast!" Xiaoyu shouted from the kitchen.

Christie patted his leg and smiled. "You go eat. I'm going to go run an errand, all right?"

He nodded and stood, going into the kitchen. Christie sighed and walked to the door, shouting a quick "I'll be back" and then ran out the door.

Down the road, she pulled out a piece of paper with a room number on it. She was going to talk to him in person, because she had to; what she wanted to say was something that could only be said face to face.

She found the local hotel, one that was pretty close to their apartment and went to the room. At first she just stood, staring at the door, unsure of what to do. Finally, she found the courage to lift her fist and knock.

Inside, she heard Eddy running to the door. The door opened and he looked at her in surprise, and then smiled.

"Eddy..." she began to say, but he cut her off when he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, rubbing her back with one hand and his other arm holding tightly to her waist. She faltered, a million memories coming back to her. Her and Eddy... something inside of her still wanted it.

Christie forced herself to pull away from him and look into his eyes. He smiled down at her warmly and brushed the hair from her eyes. "I knew you'd come back," he said softly.

"No..." she told him, looking away. "I came to tell you I've put you behind me."

He chuckled and pulled her body closer to his. "That's funny. That's not what I felt when we were kissing just now."

"Eddy, stop," she demanded when he tried to kiss her again. As she turned to walk away, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "We miss you at home."

Christie looked into his eyes and put her hands on his shoulders, pushing him back. "Eddy, we're done. This is how it's going to be. Things are different now, and the past is the past."

He crossed his arms and sighed. "Then why did you come back? Why didn't you just stay with your devil?"

"I just... wanted to actually end it this time, instead of running off again."

"He's going to hurt you. You'll see, Christie."

"Goodbye, Eddy," she said finally and left him staring after her.

There, she had done it. Instead of ignoring it, she had finished it, unlike last time. As she walked home, her gaze on the sidewalk flew up to the sky and she smiled. She felt much better.

Xiaoyu had dished out a pile of scrambled eggs onto Jin's plate, along with two pieces of toast and a glass of milk.

Jin looked the food over uneasily since his diet usually wasn't entirely actual food. "Um, thank you."

"No problem, Jin," Xiaoyu said cheerily, no doubt trying to make up for her previous rudeness, her conscience bugging her terribly. "Is everything to your liking? Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather have coffee? I'm not used to having coffee around because Christie doesn't like coffee."

"I know," was all Jin said as he put some of the eggs in his mouth to be polite. He mostly stuck to the milk.

When he didn't say anything else, Xiaoyu tried to fill the silence that she felt was uncomfortable. "So, you had a mountain home? That sounds so great. I mean, the view had to be awesome, not to mention no rent. And no one to bother you. You don't really seem like the kind of guy that likes to have people bothering him..."

"Well, not..."

"... You barely talk at all and you sit in your own little silence while someone just chats away about anything. You should have an opinion about something, huh? I mean, there's a whole world of things to talk about and all you can do is sit there and listen to someone talk away."

He emptied his milk and put down the glass, only to find that Xiaoyu was there immediately with some more milk.

"You look so strong and buff," she told him, leaning against the counter. "I just figured that you were someone who liked to eat a lot. It takes a big appetite to be as big as you are. Was it enough for you?"

"Yes," he said, still staring at his full glass of milk and then looking at the mountain of eggs he had eaten only five bites of.

"Good, I'm so glad. It was like that with my parents growing up, ya know? We always fed our guests well, making sure that they have plenty to eat. What was it like growing up for you, Jin?"

"I did not... spend much time with my family."

"I remember Kazuya. Ya know, I felt so bad about how he turned out. I wished so often I could go back in time... But nowadays I don't really live in the past. I say that you should enjoy life to the fullest. But that's too bad you didn't spend a lot of time with your family. I know I loved my family so much, but they really didn't like that I went into the tournaments and stuff. Do you know why Christie went into the tournaments? It was because of her dead grandfather, the same reason she's here now, too. Why did you go into the tournaments, Jin?"

Jin was now staring at her, a slightly glazed look on his face. He wasn't sure exactly what she was asking him because he was still registering everything she had said before, but he did not want to ask her to repeat it all again. Instead, he stood and walked to the couch, sitting back down.

"Okay, I'll just put away these eggs for you, huh?" Xiaoyu shouted from the kitchen.

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_**All right. So, it is Saturday afternoon and I am proud to present a chapter that I had planned to have done like two or three days from now... YES! Wooo! Thank you for the encouraging reviews... they are very much appreciated and keep me writing, knowing what I write brings enjoyment... my main goal!**_

_**Happy St. Patrick's Day,**_

_**-Kat- **_


	7. The Darkness and the Light

Excusing himself, he went into the bathroom to relieve himself. He walked past the mirror and heard his name whispered. He went back, and saw a purple figure with red eyes... including one it the middle of his forehead, glaring back at him instead of his own reflection.

"**What, Jin?"** the creature asked. **"Surprised to see me? Do you remember who I am?"**_  
_

Jin reached out to touch the glass. It was freezing cold to the touch, like ice. Yes, he knew that face, but where...? Then he realized that creature looked strangely like his father, Kazuya. "Who are you?"

The creature snickered. **"Do you really not remember? Well, you never were with your father much. I am the 'gene,' as the world so nicely coined me. A long time ago... when you were still young... I was there with your father. I was assigned to him, to... coach, I guess you could say. To guide."**

"What are you doing here now?" Jin asked, his eyes narrowing.

"_**I told you, I am the gene. I live in you..."**_

"What do you want?" he demanded.

"**To make you happy. That's what I've always been here for. You know, your gifts aren't all that evil... Remember when you saved Christie?" **The devil's lips curled into a smile. Jin answered back with a dark look, completely distrusting. **"Ah...ha... don't worry. I know a way to completely gain control of your... gifts. You wouldn't want to lose Christie to a bad habit, would you?"**

Jin looked away and ran a head through his hair. If he could control his power...

"**Do we have a deal?"**the devil asked.

"What deal?" Jin countered.

"**Control, Jin. For complete control, you must give yourself over completely to the gene. Don't fight it or it will eat at you until you are destroyed."**

"You would release me so Chisty and I could be unbothered?"

"**Completely unbothered? There's no such thing, Jin. What happens when you get sick and die? What happens when she is killed in a fight?"** he warned.

A deep pain entered Jin's heart. He was right. If he kept the gene, he could stay immortal for her and save her from everything. He could keep her like before, in the temple. Safe, happy...

"**Give yourself over completely. You haven't tried that yet. Living in the gene day and night could release the pressure of it being locked up,"**the demon told him, starting to weave a web to ensnare Jin.

Jin's head was spinning, unsure of what exactly to say to it.

"**Do we have a deal?" **he repeated.

"What deal?" Jin asked again, not exactly remembering there ever being an exact deal offered.

"**You are going to give up your human... rights. But that's not important. Give me everything that is part of the human Jin so that you can be completely sure of protecting your life with Christie. That is what you both want, isn't it?"**

"Of... of course," Jin replied and looked down at the sink.

Devil smirked, watching him with ease. Really, it had been too easy. Humans... so predictable. Like father, like son. Jin suddenly cried out, pain from his chest exploding. Devil's fist was in his chest, pulling him into the mirror slowly.

From the ceiling came a golden light. The light fell on him and he looked into it, face reddened and eyes bursting from their sockets from the pain.

"_Jin, do not be afraid."_

"**Angel, you have no business here."**

"_I'm glad to see you remember me, Devil. It has been a long time..."_

Jin hunched over, trying anything to relieve the pain, but nothing worked. His body had changed into his Devil Jin appearance, wings sprouting out of his back and horns curving from his temples. His chest glowed and the black tattoos took shape. Angel reached out and placed a hand on his head and some of the pain subsided. Devil reached through the glass and started to pull him in.

"**He is mine!"**

Christie was home now and banging on the door. Angel looked at the door, pointed, then curled her fingers. The door shot open and Christie fell forward. She gasped and started at the sight before her: Jin was in pain on his knees at the sink, Devil was half out the mirror was trying to pull him in, and Angel had a hand on Jin's head.

"This is as weird as the tournaments..." she muttered to herself.

Angel extended her hand to Christie. _"You swore to never abandon him, Christie. Come now and help him fight!"_

Christie ran to him and wrapped her arms around him, holding to him, but it wasn't his physical body that was going. "What can I do?" she pleaded, looking at Angel.

"**You can do nothing but watch him slip away. Angel, you are a failure. You were with Kazuya... you are now."**

Angel glared at him. _"I once blamed myself. But I know that it was the human's choice to give in. And he did not have his son's purity."_

"**Purity? Ha."**

"_His mother, Jun."_

"**His mother could not save his father. Christie will not do anything for Jin."**

"Ch-i-i-st-y?" Jin coughed out.

Christie stroked his cheek, his head in her hands. "I'm here, Jin. Hold on," she told him, trying to sound reassuring. She looked at Angel, her eyes pleading.

Angel closed her eyes for a moment, and then they flew open, a beam of light shooting from them at the mirror. But Devil was gone, as was Jin.

The mirror shattered into a million pieces and scattered around Christie. She screamed in fury and kicked the wall. "NO!" she yelled at the shards of mirror and fell to her knees, hugging herself.

"_The fight is not yet over, Christina."_

Tears hit the floor softly, the only clue that Christie was crying. She answered calmly, "Jin once said that sometimes you... have to give up..."

"_How can you say that?" _Angel demanded, grabbing Christie's shoulder and pulling her to her feet. Christie glared at her through red eyes as she leaned against the wall. _"You've fought all your life, sometimes physically, sometimes mentally. It was all practice, all leading up to this moment."_

"You mean..."

"_Yes, Fate. You do not believe in it, do you? But that does not matter, because whether you believe or not, life goes on and Fate will keep spinning its tapestry of time. Choose now what you will do."_

"Well, if it's Fate, then it doesn't matter..."

Angel's eyes narrowed into small, annoyed slits. Her voice was deeper and filled with warning._ "Christie, do you not see? That is what Devil is counting on... that you will give up because of the facts. He wants his slave! You can still choose, but choose now before it is too late. Don't let the world has told you cloud what is happening now."_

So, her whole life was leading up to this moment. All the fights, the seemingly doomed tournaments, the times where she thought the odds were impossible but she had come out on top. And then the times she hadn't... she had learned from those. It was those life lessons that were going to get her through all of this now.

Christie sighed and clenched her fists in front of her face. "What do I have to do?" she asked, and looked at Angel with a determined look in her eyes.

No, Christie wasn't going to abandon Jin. How could she have thought that? No, she was going to go get him... and there would be Hell to pay.


	8. Rise and Fall, End It All

_**Good day to you!**_

**_I had difficulty, at first, thinking of a real ending for this story because I could only think of three possible scenarios that seemed impossible to choose from... and then I started writing. And I found I could kind of incorporate all of the endings into one, though not going so far as to killing Christie and/or splitting them up for forever. I must say thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed this. Please leave your final feedback for me! I want to know what you thought... it would be great to know for future stories I will write._**

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The Gates of Hell was a dark place at the very end of the world on the cliff overlooking Hell. The Gates were deceiving, perhaps to give hope to those that cross them, only to be shattered completely. They looked like rickety wooden gates, perhaps put together by a poor farmer to feebly protect his crops, but this was of course not so. No, the Gates were not feeble nor fragile in truth. As with everything, this was a facade.

There was no sun or moon, just a blood red sky to foretell the future of those that walked through the Gates. The ground was charred and sooty, the way marked by streaks of blood. Nothing grew, nothing flourished. The air reeked of death and torture.

Devil walked to the Gates and placed a hand on the one of them. He looked at Jin, who stood away, staring.

"**What is the matter? This is your future and you know it. You can hear it calling your name, can't you? Don't be afraid of it... embrace it, like your gene."**

Jin took one step towards the Gate, but was stopped when he heard his name called by a different voice.

"Jin!" Christie screamed, racing toward him.

"Chisty?" he said softly, but he was stopped by Devil.

"**This is not your place, Christie. It's too late."**

Christie shifted into her attacking stance and her feet began to dance as she prepared to attack. Devil slapped Jin's back, making his wings begin to beat. In a calm voice, he ordered, **"Attack."**

Jin's eyes darkened and he rose up against Christie, shooting lethal beams at her. She was barely able to dodge them, getting out of the way with rolls and flips. She did a hand spring, launching herself into the air and kicking him down. Everything was happening so fast, and her attacks were automatic reactions to her opponent because her body was running on alert mode. Rolling on top of him, she punched him in the face.

"Snap out of it!" she shouted, and Devil Jin kicked her off. She flew through the air and landed to the left of the Gates.

Devil Jin got to his feet and calmly walked toward her, though his facial features glowed with his intentions. His clawed hands whipped at her, backhanding her. She fell face first on the ground but was quick enough to kick his legs out from underneath him as she tried to defend herself.

Christie began to swing her legs around, repeatedly hitting Jin. He laid stunned on the ground. She spun once more onto her feet and glared at Devil. "Let him go!" she demanded.

"**The Gates of Hell are wonderful... they favor the evil. Be careful, he is just getting warmed up,"** Devil said with a grin, pointing behind her. Devil Jin was on his feet again, looking stronger than ever.

Christie gasped and kicked high in an attempt to kick his head, but he caught her foot and turned it, throwing her off balance and into the ground hard. She pushed herself up and looked at him, her eyes pleading with his.

"Jin, stop!" she begged, but he wouldn't listen. He advanced toward her. "Please, just come to the surface with me and we'll..."

Devil Jin's clawed fingers wrapped around her throat and lifted her into the air. She tried to breathe but it was becoming impossible. A small drop of blood slipped down from her neck and slowly made its way to her collarbone and seeped into her clothes. The smell of her blood triggered something in him. It awoke in him the deepest part of him: his soul. All at once, his soul saturated his being and allowed him true control.

Christie's breathing was slowing and becoming stopped until he released her neck and swooped her up in his arms. He spread his wings and leaped into the air, taking flight. Devil yelled after him, infuriated that he had lost Jin. **"You cannot hide from me, Jin! I will have you... I will never leave you two alone."**

x

Jin flew to the one place he had been safe for so long: the mountains. He landed on the boulder that had been by the Temple. But the Temple, of course, was not there. Now, weeds and grass were trying to take over the ashes.

He surveyed the land and saw the stream nearby and carried Christie to it. He knelt down and, holding her body to his, he scooped water from the stream and lightly splashed it on her face. The blood on her neck from his claws digging into her neck, along with her breathing almost nothing, made his eyes well up.

There was a moment of deja vu, where he remembered when he had carried her here first, after he killed Marduk for nearly killing her. But at that time, he hadn't cared so much about her living. Now, he would give anything to know she was alive.

"Chisty," he whispered and buried his face in her chest. Her head was back, staring into the sun. One thing gave him hope: her heart beat.

He splashed water on her face again and she sighed, her chest heaving in a deep breath. Jin pushed her bangs out of her face and kissed her lips. She responded and opened her eyes. Jin broke the kiss and buried his face once more, this time in her neck. "Please forgive me," he said, his voice muffled.

Christie entangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his head away to look at him. He looked at her, his face ever serious and somber.

"Chisty, I'm sorry. I can't..."

She lightly brushed his cheek and whispered in a raspy voice, "It will get easier now."

_Five years later..._

Christie groaned and rolled over, putting an arm around Jin's sleeping figure. It felt like it was too early. She blamed the sun shining through the window on their bed. She looked at their bodies, tangled in the bed sheets. With a small smile, she put her head on his chest and ran a finger lightly up and down his chest.

He shifted slightly and slowly opened his eyes, blinking in the sunlight. "Why are the blinds not closed?" he asked softly, covering his eyes with an arm, though not the one around Christie.

She chuckled and lightly kissed him. "Probably because of last night... the moonlight dinner... in the bedroom..." she whispered, her mind going over last night.

They had their own cottage now, near the mountains, just outside a small fishing village. Christie worked in a shop, and Jin fished... somehow. She didn't know how he did it, but they didn't really talk about that much. It was one of their unspoken conversations.

Xiaoyu had a new roommate, one of the guys she went clubbing with frequently. They still kept in contact, but Xiao was pretty busy most of the time.

Jin played with her hair, watching the shine from the sun. Christie could tell his mind was on something. She waited, knowing he would eventually talk about it, once he had it all figured out in his mind.

"Chisty," he started to say, looking from her hair to her. "What were you... planning on doing?"

She tilted her head to the side. "Well, it's Sunday. I was thinking about making some pancakes for us and then maybe..."

"No, I mean, when... when you came to the Gates, what were you planning on doing?"

"Oh." Christie bit her lower lip. They hadn't talked about the Gates. Not since they had fought at them. It had never came up, neither of them wanted to bring it up. But now, it finally had. She looked down at his skin and snuggled closer. "I was going to... offer myself."

"What?" Jin asked, frowning.

"I would've asked to take your place, Jin."

"Chisty..." Jin looked away, somewhere out the window. He was thinking about what to say. She gave him time, as always. Finally, he looked at her again. "Why?"

She propped herself up on her elbows and looked into his eyes. "Because I wanted you to love and be free to. I wanted you to go on and experience exactly what you gave me, and even more," she said softly, running her fingers through his hair.

Jin studied her eyes. Then he leaned up and kissed her. He only broke the kiss for a moment to say, "You are the only one who could have given me that."

There was no more talking after that. Only love. That had become easy.

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_**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I cannot stress enough how great it would be for you to put a small review for me. I am pretty proud of myself, considering this is only the second story I have ever finished. It's so easy for me to write because I have ideas coming out of my ears, but I can never seem to finish a story, though I start millions.**_

_**This story is over, but Christie's and Jin's will go on because I believe no story ever truly ends, even if it is not continued in writing.**_

_**Love,**_

_**-Kat-**_


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